| December 2008 - News |
| December 2008 |
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Activists Kilo and Issa denied early release Syrian journalist Michel Kilo and translator Mahmud Issa have been denied early release which would have seen them walk free from prison on November 1, Damascus’ AFP reported on November 4. Kilo and Issa were among seven activists jailed for three years in May 2006 after signing the Beirut-Damascus Declaration, a document which demanded Syria recognise Lebanon’s independence. They were charged with “weakening national sentiment” and “undermining the image of the state”. Human rights activists say the pair should have been released from jail on November 1 under a law which allows prisoners who have completed three quarters of their sentences to walk free. Instead, they claim that on November 4 the prosecutor general moved against a decision made by the Court of Appeal which called for Kilo and Issa to be released. “Syrian justice faces a veritable test,” Khalil Rihawi, a human rights lawyer, said. “It should prove its integrity and demonstrate that the executive branch cannot intervene in judicial decisions.” Last October, 12 other opposition figures calling for democratic reforms in Syria were jailed for 30 months. |